iPod iPod with Alpine CD Player Question?

[notredewey]

I just got an Alpine CD player for my car with the hook up for my iPod. It works great but I don't like controlling/searching songs through the head unit. When you plug your iPod into the cord, an Alpine screen pops up on the screen. My question is....is there a way/hack that would allow me to control what is being played by using my iPod? I don't know why they don't allow you to have the option, this would seem like the easiest way to control what is being played. Any suggestions or i'm i just gonna have to deal with it? Thanks.

 

[macg4]

what model alpine head unit do u have?

 

[notredewey]

CDE-9852 Sorry, I should have mentioned that.

 

[chris y.]

I felt the same way since using the alpine interface seems excruciatingly slow as well. I have the IVA-D900 and I hooked it up using XtremeMac's Roadshow which is connected to the auxiliary input on my headunit. This lets you control everything on the ipod except the volume. Im pretty sure your model should have this as well.

 

[notredewey]

So by using that auxiliary input you mention, does that mean you don't use the Alpine dock connector? If so, how does the quality compare by using the auxiliary vs. the Alpine dock connector? Thanks.

 

[pna]

So by using that auxiliary input you mention, does that mean you don't use the Alpine dock connector? If so, how does the quality compare by using the auxiliary vs. the Alpine dock connector? Thanks.

No hack exists that I'm aware of. I wish it did.

I've got the same Alpine deck that you do (the 9852). Dropping a line into the Aux input ( a proprietary cable from alpine -- jerks) will let you plug into either your ipod's headphone output, at which point the sound quality will be poorer than using the alpine control that plugs into the dock connector, or if you buy a cable that converts from a headphone plug into your ipods dock connector, you'll be tapping into the line-out signal from the ipod and it'll sound just as good as using the alpine controls.

That being said, now that I've gotten the aux line dropped into my alpine, I can't get it to change to it on the source selector. Crikey.

 

[notredewey]

Thanks everyone for your replies, I appreciate it. PNA, that sounds like a heck of a way around using the Alpine dock connector. However I think ill just tuff it out using the head unit until something else can be done. Good luck with getting your player to recognize it on the source selection, that sucks. Any more suggestions feel free to reply. Thanks.

 

[pna]

Thanks everyone for your replies, I appreciate it. PNA, that sounds like a heck of a way around using the Alpine dock connector. However I think ill just tuff it out using the head unit until something else can be done. Good luck with getting your player to recognize it on the source selection, that sucks. Any more suggestions feel free to reply. Thanks.

I'm not familiar with the extrememac roadshow that was mentioned earlier, but as far as I can tell it does exactly what I'm talking about. The one I found when searching on the web is just a cable that runs from the dock connector of the ipod (so it's using the line-level output signal) into the aux input of your alpine deck. If that's the case, you'd still need to use the actual ipod controls on the ipod itself to control your music, but would control the volume through the stereo. Chris Y and I are basically talking about the same thing.

 

[notredewey]

The volume part doesn't bother me. I would just like to switch songs, artists, playlists, etc by using my iPod as a controller so to speak, instead of using the head unit. I looked up the roadshow and it looks to be a little more than I need. It controls video and things, im not sure if I need that. I already paid 30 dollars for my cord now, and don't really wanna replace it already with another 50 dollar one. But I guess if this cord allows you to do what I'm asking, then I have my answer.

 

[astarling06]

I have an Alpine 9856 and I noticed the Alpine logo on the screen of my iPod. Alpine has a remote that can be used to control the head unit that may solve trying to find your music on your iPod. Oddly enough, the remote is NOT on the Alpine but on Crutchfield's website for 20 bucks.

I also noticed that when I unplug my iPod from my head unit and dock it into my JBL On-Stage II dock at work, that my iPod is automatically placed on repeat. Is there a way to stop it from doing that? Now I love Black Label Society but when I get busy, I don't want to hear the same album 10x in a row.

 

[pna]

The volume part doesn't bother me. I would just like to switch songs, artists, playlists, etc by using my iPod as a controller so to speak, instead of using the head unit. I looked up the roadshow and it looks to be a little more than I need. It controls video and things, im not sure if I need that. I already paid 30 dollars for my cord now, and don't really wanna replace it already with another 50 dollar one. But I guess if this cord allows you to do what I'm asking, then I have my answer.

A much more stripped down cable (the one that I have) is the Sik Imp

http://sik.com/imp.php

which will plug into the line you connect to your aux in on the alpine deck. You could probably get away with just the sik din as well, which is probably 10 bucks cheaper, but comes with no cigarette lighter power adapter. You could use the actual alpine one you've already got to charge the ipod if you needed to. I think the imp is probably 30 bucks, the din is probably 20. The line you'd need to connect into the alpine deck's aux input is probably another 20 bucks -- any car stereo shop will have it and be able to help you.

 

[awhitaker]

A much more stripped down cable (the one that I have) is the Sik Imp

http://sik.com/imp.php

which will plug into the line you connect to your aux in on the alpine deck. You could probably get away with just the sik din as well, which is probably 10 bucks cheaper, but comes with no cigarette lighter power adapter. You could use the actual alpine one you've already got to charge the ipod if you needed to. I think the imp is probably 30 bucks, the din is probably 20. The line you'd need to connect into the alpine deck's aux input is probably another 20 bucks -- any car stereo shop will have it and be able to help you.

I've got the same kind of thing except for the cigarette lighter adapter on my older Alpine. Supposedly it's supposed to charge the ipod too but it doesn't. Doesn't bother me as long as I have the ipod charged and no long road trips where the battery will run down. I had a stereo installer run the line from the line out in the back of the Alpine through my console to an ashtray in the console between my seats. I just open the ashtray door, plug in my ipod, set the Alpine to aux, and away I go. I'm still wating for a car stereo manufacturer to come up with a Apple ipod user-interface built into the stereo. It seems they are all slower than using the ipod right now. Some one needs to work directly with apple to come up with a click-wheel / scroll-wheel on the stereo that is as fast and user-friendly as the ipod is.